Handmade by our family to be handed down through yours...
Greetings from the Karl family, where Kristine has been handmaking baskets in the Buffalo Run Valley since 1976. Since its beginning, the family business has now drawn in its second generation. Kristine's daughter, Ann and her husband Rick Poorbaugh, have developed a love for this tradition. Mel Davis fell in love with not only Kristine, but the family's passion for basket weaving as well.
Our baskets are of the traditional design and quality found in the hardwood baskets of rural America in the late 1800's. Each basket is still made by hand to be strong and functional, yet very attractive. The finest maple, hickory, ash and red elm are combined with skilled craftmanship to ensure each finished basket is one that you will be as proud to own as we are to make. All of the measurements are approximate and, when necessary, are rounded up. While we have grouped the baskets on the following pages according to their most common uses, please do not feel limited to our suggestions. Allow your imagination to wander as you discover new and exciting uses for each of our baskets. In the tradition of these early American craftsman, is with great pride that we offer Karl Family Baskets - handmade by our family to be handed down through yours.
As a family, and as a company, we try to be as kind to the environment as we can. To this end, we often use recycled boxes and packing materials when we ship your basket to you. Please don't be surprised to find reused bubble wrap, egg cartons, and take-out containers (all clean, we promise!) protecting your basket while in transit to its new home. If you happen to visit us at a show, we will happily take any of these materials back to reuse again! We encourage you to reuse or recycle the boxes as well as the packing materials and help continue this commitment to our fragile environment.
Our website is still a work-in-progress. Please bear with us! The majority of our baskets are pictured and all should have a picture soon. If you have any problems with this site, please send us a note via the 'contact us' page, or email karlfamilybaskets@gmail.com. We can make a basket without a problem, but we are still learning this online stuff!
